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Post by Sanziana on Jun 22, 2016 12:26:48 GMT -5
Finding DoryIt's cute and entertaining enough to have left me smiling for most of it, but like most other films I've seen this year that I was excited for, it's not very memorable.
The Lobster
I loved the first half of the movie and how strange and playful it was, but the second half of the movie lost me and reminded me way too much of Jean-Luc Godard's Weekend, which I hate. Rarely has a film fallen off for me as abruptly and as far as The Lobster did at the halfway point. Brave effort, though, I'll give it that. I liked it a lot, one of the best movies from last year imo. Yeah, the second half is clunkier, but I thought it had quite a bite to it and it had an unapologetic oddness that I loved. Being beyond terrible at dating and all the usual bullshit associated with it, it resonated strongly with me. |
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on Jun 22, 2016 19:14:50 GMT -5
Sanziana, so if the movie didn't resonate with me it's only because I'm awesome at dating? THEN WHY AM I STILL ALONE?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?! *runs off crying*
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Post by Sanziana on Jun 23, 2016 12:00:56 GMT -5
Sanziana , so if the movie didn't resonate with me it's only because I'm awesome at dating? THEN WHY AM I STILL ALONE?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?! *runs off crying* It's because unconsciously, you're waiting for Oscar Isaac. |
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on Jun 24, 2016 0:00:19 GMT -5
Good grief, Independence Day Resurgence is terrible.
Like, it's $250M SYFY channel original movie but that description makes it sound as if it's actually fun.
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Paleu
AV Clubber 
Confirmed for neo-liberal shill.
Posts: 1,258 
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Post by Paleu on Jun 24, 2016 2:07:27 GMT -5
The LobsterI'll just quote starforge from near the end: "Why don't you two just kill yourselves, then you'll have something in common and the movie can end already!"
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Post by starforge on Jun 24, 2016 2:11:40 GMT -5
The LobsterI'll just quote starforge from near the end: "Why don't you two just kill yourselves, then you'll have something in common and the movie can end already!" Spot on, love. A good start sprialing into a tired metaphor a middle schooler could poke holes in. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2016 9:22:05 GMT -5
Mr. Right - Mrs B and I loved this, and thought it was hilarious! I'm a big fan of both Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick, and Tim Roth and RZA were both pretty great too.
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SLOW
Shoutbox Elitist 
Scarlett Letter O'Whora, at your service.
Posts: 1,091
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Post by SLOW on Jun 24, 2016 18:46:50 GMT -5
It's normal to cry pretty much all the way through He Named Me Malala, right?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2016 21:13:04 GMT -5
Neighbors 2, I liked it a good bit. Better than the first. My main problem with the first one was that all the main characters were unsympathetic, in this one though I liked them. The reasons why they wanted to do what they did made sense, and none of it seemed that mean spirited and with such hate. Also the little twists and turns on the usual bro stuff was nice.
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Post by Floyd Dinnertime Barber on Jun 25, 2016 14:17:28 GMT -5
Central Intelligence I went in knowing nothing about it. Picked it because it was on the $4.50 10AM Saturday Matinee, and we didn't really want to watch Finding Dory. I enjoyed the shit out of it.
After we got home I looked up the review in TOC. I don't know if they saw a different movie, or just hate fun, but I think that review totally got it wrong. Is it silly: yes. Does the plot make much sense: no, but it was entertaining all the way through, and funny as hell in a lot of places.
Johnson and Hart (which sounds like they should be a team of Broadway composers from 1934) had great chemistry, and each sold their character. Were their actions and reactions emotionally consistent? No. They acted like fairly messed up, inconsistent human beings. You know, real people. I enjoyed the inconsistent pacing the reviewer hated. During the action sequences, the gags were fast and funny, and the character moments didn't feel forced to me. It had a bit of a Looney Tunes feel to it, which I enjoyed, but also had a lot of empathy for it's characters, I thought.
Dwayne Johnson seems to have no ego whatsoever in his performances, and I love that. Someone less open or confident would have turned his character into a cartoon, in a bad way, but Johnson kept it, maybe not on the rails, but not too far off of the right-of-way. Hart was very entertaining and convincing as someone very suddenly over their head in a totally WTF situation. I would hang out with those two characters, if I could.
I really don't understand the reviewer's take on the movie. Maybe their frame of reference is different from mine. Their tastes seem to be. Maybe they were never picked on in high school. Or maybe they didn't have those few people who showed them kindness when they needed it (if that is the case, I am so, so, sorry. Trust me, you never forget them or what they did for you then, even if circumstances change later.) Maybe they haven't become re-acquainted with old classmates who changed completely after high school. Maybe they never had fiercely loyal, if moderately unstable, friends who would try to talk them into adventures that might be fun and exciting, and might put you in the hospital. Maybe they just couldn't relate to it.
This obviously isn't Kubrick, but I think Buster Keaton might have enjoyed it. Siskel might or might not have given it a thumbs up, but I think Ebert might have appreciated it for being what it was. It was a very pleasant way to spend a hot Saturday morning.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2016 20:50:25 GMT -5
The nice guys.
Was really good. I think it was Ryan gosling at his best. The guy is an outstanding comedic actor, wish he did more films like this. Matt bomer was also great. The only real complaint I had was that it felt a little long, it really did seem like there was two endings.
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on Jun 25, 2016 23:04:39 GMT -5
Independence Day: Resurgence
Wow. I'm so sorry you had to do this, Maika Monroe.
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Post by rimjobflashmob on Jun 25, 2016 23:29:50 GMT -5
Sixteen Candles
Holy fuck. I'd never seen this before, but the fact that such a blatantly sexist, racist, date-rape endorsing movie is so commonly regarded as a classic disgusts me. What an atrocious pile of garbage. I feel like I have to rewatch all the other Hughes movies I've ever seen through a newly critical lens now.
I need a fucking shower.
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on Jun 25, 2016 23:51:54 GMT -5
Independence Day: Resurgence Wow. I'm so sorry you had to do this, Maika Monroe. You mean fake Mau Whitman? |
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 26, 2016 0:04:01 GMT -5
Independence Day: Resurgence Wow. I'm so sorry you had to do this, Maika Monroe. You mean fake Mau Whitman? I think we all know why they didn't bring her back, and I think we all agree it's bullshit. |
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 26, 2016 0:05:47 GMT -5
Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby
That was okay, I guess. I feel like my movie sense of humor is gone.
Total lifetime movie count: > 740
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2016 0:18:45 GMT -5
Full metal jacket
I chose the air force for a reason.
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 26, 2016 0:26:36 GMT -5
Full metal jacket I chose the air force for a reason. I don't know if there are any Marines on here, and I know Marines myself, both casually and biblically– they're all fucking nuts.
They are brave motherfuckers, but goddamn. Back in high school when we thought the draft was about to go into effect and the Marines were recruiting on campus like crazy, pretty much everyone agreed that you'd have to be crazy to join them.* We've never had a Marine President, and there's a reason. |
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Dellarigg
AV Clubber
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
Posts: 7,641
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Post by Dellarigg on Jun 26, 2016 4:04:21 GMT -5
Creepshow
Despite being a Stephen King completist, I'd somehow never seen this (I've seen the second one, however, which may be why I hesitated). I enjoyed it - it's critic-proof. It was directed with a stylish, loving eye, and the week King spent on the script was more or less all it needed. Good to see pre-fame (and presumably pre-agent) work from Ed Harris and Ted Danson, and lots of other actors who battled heroically to make characters talking to themselves sound natural. King himself was game in his lunkhead role, though no doubt he was coked off his nut throughout.
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 27, 2016 1:21:52 GMT -5
The Central Park Five
Ken Burns' only theatrical film, on five black teenage boys who, in 1989, were wrongfully arrested, held, and coerced to confessing to a brutal rape that occurred the same night that they happened to be in the park (they didn't know each other; the precise crimes they were "charged" with were rape, sexual assault, battery, sodomy, and rioting). The media seized on them, calling them a "wolf pack" that went "wilding," constructing a nonsensical, Clockwork Orange-esque mythos around them.
Despite the fact that neither circumstantial evidence, physical evidence, or DNA evidence was consistent with the case against them, let alone their own false confessions, and despite the fact that the crime was consistent with past and future attacks by a well-known serial rapist in the area who later confessed, the push to jail these boys was overwhelming. Crime was out of control in 1989, the police couldn't be bothered to investigate most crimes, and people just wanted a win. Even jurors who thought they were innocent voted to convict because they wanted to "send a message" to the criminal element. Donald Trump ran an ad campaign pushing for New York to reinstate the death penalty just for them- keep in mind, they were all 14-16 years old.
Even today, the NYPD and City of New York maintain that their account of events was the correct one. Didn't stop them from getting the pants sued off them, $41 million.
This was a deeply and rightfully disturbing film, a true story of the wrongfully accused that is very similar- in both content and cinematic style- to similar documentaries. People wanted revenge, they chose five kids, and decided to take it out on them. In certain ways, it's hard to imagine something like this happening quite so easily today. In others, especially regarding the media's unwavering role as cheerleader in the court of public opinion, it's not so hard at all. A-
Total lifetime movie count: ≥741
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Post by Ben Grimm on Jun 27, 2016 7:55:45 GMT -5
Sixteen Candles Holy fuck. I'd never seen this before, but the fact that such a blatantly sexist, racist, date-rape endorsing movie is so commonly regarded as a classic disgusts me. What an atrocious pile of garbage. I feel like I have to rewatch all the other Hughes movies I've ever seen through a newly critical lens now. I need a fucking shower. I saw that for the first time as an adult as well, and feel like it's aged as badly as a film can. The fact that it is held in as high esteem as it is says some pretty negative things about the US in the 80s, I think, but at least it can make us feel a bit better about ourselves that we don't still make stuff like that. |
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 27, 2016 11:40:50 GMT -5
Sixteen Candles Holy fuck. I'd never seen this before, but the fact that such a blatantly sexist, racist, date-rape endorsing movie is so commonly regarded as a classic disgusts me. What an atrocious pile of garbage. I feel like I have to rewatch all the other Hughes movies I've ever seen through a newly critical lens now. I need a fucking shower. I saw that for the first time as an adult as well, and feel like it's aged as badly as a film can. The fact that it is held in as high esteem as it is says some pretty negative things about the US in the 80s, I think, but at least it can make us feel a bit better about ourselves that we don't still make stuff like that. I'm pretty sure that violates the conventional wisdom that America was at its greatest in the 80s and Ronald Reagan was the father you never had. I saw it for the first time as an adult and found it eminently forgettable, aside from the out-of-place inclusion of "Young Americans." |
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Post by Jean-Luc Lemur on Jun 27, 2016 11:57:45 GMT -5
Full metal jacket I chose the air force for a reason. My cousin watched Full Metal Jacket while preparing a lamb for Easter. This is the sort of thing she does. |
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 28, 2016 0:37:08 GMT -5
The Perfect StormFor some reason, I thought this movie was prestigious. I was not at all expecting to lump it in with other Dark Age Disaster Movies, but the shoe fits, it's got the typical bad effects and random side-plots. The score is hyperactive; it's got plenty of leftover '90s cheese. The CGI sucked and obviously none of it was filmed at sea, I mean obviously, but even the calm bits. That's not to say it wasn't suspenseful, and it definitely has an edge over, say, Armageddon or Volcano by being about something real and thus much more grounded. I actually think this is better than Titanic.But... If they all died, how the fuck does anyone know what happened on that boat? Total lifetime movie count: ≥743
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Post by Mrs David Tennant on Jun 28, 2016 9:18:58 GMT -5
The Perfect StormFor some reason, I thought this movie was prestigious. I was not at all expecting to lump it in with other Dark Age Disaster Movies, but the shoe fits, it's got the typical bad effects and random side-plots. The score is hyperactive; it's got plenty of leftover '90s cheese. The CGI sucked and obviously none of it was filmed at sea, I mean obviously, but even the calm bits. That's not to say it wasn't suspenseful, and it definitely has an edge over, say, Armageddon or Volcano by being about something real and thus much more grounded. I actually think this is better than Titanic.But... spoiler Total lifetime movie count: ≥743 That's definitely my question about that - I guess that's what they call artistic license. |
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 28, 2016 12:00:47 GMT -5
The Perfect StormFor some reason, I thought this movie was prestigious. I was not at all expecting to lump it in with other Dark Age Disaster Movies, but the shoe fits, it's got the typical bad effects and random side-plots. The score is hyperactive; it's got plenty of leftover '90s cheese. The CGI sucked and obviously none of it was filmed at sea, I mean obviously, but even the calm bits. That's not to say it wasn't suspenseful, and it definitely has an edge over, say, Armageddon or Volcano by being about something real and thus much more grounded. I actually think this is better than Titanic.But... spoiler Total lifetime movie count: ≥743 That's definitely my question about that - I guess that's what they call artistic license. It was. And real-life people involved were not pleased! |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 28, 2016 12:13:11 GMT -5
That's definitely my question about that - I guess that's what they call artistic license. It was. And real-life people involved were not pleased! Wasn't it based on a book that was written about the whole thing? Presumably they got rights to that story from someone at some point. What did they think the movie was going to be, people standing at the shore, looking at an angry sea and speculating to each other? |
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SLOW
Shoutbox Elitist
Scarlett Letter O'Whora, at your service.
Posts: 1,091
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Post by SLOW on Jun 28, 2016 12:15:14 GMT -5
It was. And real-life people involved were not pleased! Wasn't it based on a book that was written about the whole thing? Presumably they got rights to that story from someone at some point. What did they think the movie was going to be, people standing at the shore, looking at an angry sea and speculating to each other? HA. |
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 29, 2016 0:13:02 GMT -5
It was. And real-life people involved were not pleased! Wasn't it based on a book that was written about the whole thing? Presumably they got rights to that story from someone at some point. What did they think the movie was going to be, people standing at the shore, looking at an angry sea and speculating to each other? Well, see, it was widely felt that they made the characters much more foolish than they really would have been. Instead of just wrong place, wrong time, it makes them greedy, bullheaded morons heading straight into the storm and oh-so-obviously sealing their doom. tl;dr they took a tragic accident with real people and turned it into another goddamn hubris allegory. |
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jun 29, 2016 0:34:23 GMT -5
Jurassic Park
I cheated and watched a movie I'd already seen before. In fairness, I suddenly remembered two movies I saw as a teenager but didn't log (Palindromes and Schultze Gets the Blues), so my count still went up. Furthermore, I hadn't seen Jurassic Park in 20 years and was thus essentially watching it again for the first time.
And it is some damn fine entertainment! It's got scares, it's got humor, it's got an interesting story and concept, and all in good fun. It's actually pretty impressive; not only was Jurassic Park ahead of the curve on some of the science (when I was in elementary school in the late '90s, our textbooks, written much earlier, said dinosaurs were cold-blooded reptiles and nobody knows what killed them), but it really captures the aesthetic of the time in which it came out. That's totally what a dinosaur theme park would look like in 1993!
My three biggest gripes would be:
1. Nedry's "security camera footage" is obviously a pre-recorded video. It has a fucking timeline, for God's sake.
2. How does Grant know that T. Rex can't see them if they don't move?
3. Jeff Goldblum's character doesn't contribute to the plot in any way.
Nevertheless, I totally get why people were blown away by it in '93. The use of CGI is very restrained; clearly they knew their limitations and used them to their advantage (much like Jaws, a film I still haven't seen. It's also got a pretty strong Indiana Jones vibe).
It's disheartening that it opened a pandora's box of CGI abuse that begat the 1993-2001 Dark Age of Hollywood. Ironically, even Spielberg would fall prey to it with The Lost World.
Incidentally, I'm glad I watched this, because the Dark Age of Hollywood is something I will end up discussing a lot in an upcoming retrospective this fall. Hint: the first review will be Daniel Sackheim's The Glass House.
Total lifetime movie count: ≥745
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